3 morning habits that can change your life

What gives successful people that ‘edge’ that seems to get them whatever they want?

Why do some people bounce out of bed in the morning and light their goals on fire, and others press the snooze button and thank heavens they have 15 more minutes to dream?

A lot of it comes down to the hidden psychology of our habits, my dears.

The tiny details of taking the stairs everyday to the extra large coffee you put into your body set of a chain of events that make up your life.

You ARE your habits.

Once we can recognize this, we can ‘manipulate’ our own mind into making daily decisions that serve who we want to be, rather than who we are. Established habits require our lazier, subconscious mind to kick in, allowing tiresome motivation and willpower to sit back for a moment.

your willpower taps out somewhere in the afternoon

You may wonder why you don’t think twice about breaking into the halloween candy in the evening, when you did a great job of shunning sugar all day. Or why missing a morning workout often means it gets pushed to tomorrow’s list.

Well, new research tells us that our willpower is like a muscle- exhausting over the period of a day. We can use this knowledge to our advantage and plan some of our more ‘exhausting’ tasks as early on as possible. Set yourself up for success by preparing healthy meals and exercising while motivation is still high- so you can relax and reap the benefits later.

To get you started each morning I am listing:

3 morning habits that successful people use every day to reach their goals:

1. visualize

Everyone from Drake to Jim Carey to Olympic athletes have reaped the benefits of using this trick.

Our favourite media mogul Oprah is known to have said:

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe. ”

So how exactly do we stay as inspired as Oprah and work towards achieving everything in that treasure box we call ‘One Day’? You’ll be happy to know you don’t need to leave your bed for this one.

Simply closing your eyes and giving positive energy to your hopes and dreams every morning can help you set foot every day towards reaching those achievements. Better yet, trick your mind into feeling how you would if you had already achieved these goals.

Your hoping for a new job, for example. Visualize how it would feel once you finally get that exact position you are looking for. What are you wearing? What is the building like? Putting in these little details helps your mind believe it to be true, and attract the exact circumstances you want.

Put this into action: Every morning while you are still sleepy-eyed and adjusting to the idea of a new day, spend 5 minutes with your eyes closed in visualization. These images can be short term, for example, watching yourself nail an important presentation and experiencing the rush of good feelings of everyone congratulating you. Or it can be longer term- finally breaking away from a soul-stealing job or reaching your weight loss goals once and for all.

The more energy you devote to these visualizations the stronger they are attracted into your present reality.

2. detoxify

Every morning you wake up rested and restored, ready to take on the day with best intentions.

Why carry yesterday’s baggage (emotionally and physically) into today? You can help set yourself up for a fresh start by choosing some of the most powerful and simple detoxification methods in your own home.

Lemon Water: The first thing you consume in the morning should be water, to make up for the body’s dehydrated state overnight. A large squeeze of fresh lemon helps to assist the liver in a mild cleanse, and provide the body with an alkalizing flush of hydration. Lemon water first thing in the morning before you eat will also assist in healthy elimination, keeping toxins out of your body on schedule. You don’t want to have to rely on coffee for this.

Journaling: Detoxification is psychological too. When going through a rough patch at home or work it can be extremely beneficial to write your thoughts and feelings down each day. The more you are able to come to terms with and write out on paper, the less you have swirling around in your head and remaining unaddressed.

Other forms of detoxification worth visiting:

Meditation: Deep breathing is extremely detoxifying for respiratory system and can reset the mind and relax the body.

3. gratitude

We already spoke of how the law of attraction says that we will attract into our life the things we think about and focus our energy on. If this is true, we can go one step further and give energy to those things we are thankful for in our lives.

When we are consciously aware of our blessings (say, the morning text you receive from a friend or the coffee your boyfriend prepares for you as you are heading out the door) you are focusing clearly on what you want in your life (such as positive, fulfilling relationships) and attracting more of these things.

gratitude improves relationships, changes your outlook on your life and sets you up for greater opportunities in life

It’s sort of like positive thinking, with a twist. One of the fastest ways to improve your mood when you wake up in the morning is to count your blessings. Literally- I want you to make a list in your head of what is bringing you joy today.

Gratitude doesn’t have to be set aside solely as a sunrise ritual. If you find your mind is drifting during your evening commute and focusing on the negatives, take a moment to soak in what you are thankful for. Realizing what goals your hard work has achieved, the people you have attracted into your life, and the wonderful gems of your current circumstances can create a lasting effect on this thing we call life.